A Paradigm Shift
by Virathe
Summary: A spinoff set some time after the end of JJBA: White Noise. Damon Lustbader has woken up in an unfamiliar environment after meeting his doom at the hands of Shinnosuke. A young woman named Valdis has taken on the task of taking care of him, which he does not seem too keen on. All that Damon knows and wants is that he must find and kill Shinnosuke if he wants to exact his revenge.


A Paradigm Shift  
Chapter 1

At first, he wasn't certain if he was dreaming. He remembered being chased into the subway, his eyesight blurred from blood and sweat. He remembered the police and the fear of being cornered. He remembered the quiet void, and the gnashing teeth that severed his head from his body. He remembered the strange Purgatory – the area neither Heaven nor Hell where he sat, waiting, choking on his own blood.

He remembered speaking to Josiah, that god forsaken man.

When he awoke, the room was blurry. He went to feel for his glasses but his arms were stiff and seemed almost unfamiliar. The vague figure of a woman with a shock of red hair stood above him. He blinked hard.

"Oh, you're finally awake," she said with a tinge of excitement in her voice. She sounded young and impressionable.

He paused a moment before replying, "and who exactly are you?" His thick accent lingered in the air, feeling heavy and oppressive.

"Valdis, but you can call me Val. You're in my room." She explained, smiling kindly.

"... And how did I get here?"

He attempted to sit up but she quickly placed a cold hand on his shoulder. "Lay back down. You've been out for a while, you need some time to readjust." He pulled away from her hand and raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly happened?"

She took a breath in to steady herself as she began to explain. "Well, a-ah, you... You died, Damon." He narrowed his eyes at her statement, particularly the fact she knew his name.

"Shinnosuke? I think that was his name," she continued, "he did something. I don't... I don't know exactly what it was, but your head... Well, uh, you were in two pieces when I found you."

Those dreams weren't dreams after all, he realised. They were memories. He really had been caught like a cornered rat and killed, his head dumped unceremoniously onto the floor of that nasty subway. Suddenly, a loud beeping came from the kitchen and Val practically jumped. "Oh! Breakfast is done!" She exclaimed, darting out of the room.

With her gone, he attempted to sit up again. His stiff joints creaked in protest. His muscles felt like they were screaming but he needed to get his bearings. He couldn't spend the rest of his life in that damned bed, not with an unfamiliar woman who somehow managed to drag him back from Purgatory. He could only imagine what toll being bedridden for so long had taken on his body.

With shaky steps, he'd made his way to the full-length mirror on the wall and investigated to the best of his ability. He didn't look any worse for wear but something seemed off. Beyond the fact he was completely in the nude, there was something strange he couldn't quite put his finger on.

The woman – Val, she called herself – barged back into the room, plates of food in hand. She smiled when she saw him out of bed, but quickly furrowed her brow.

"I see you're admiring Dave's handiwork, but you need to get back into bed and rest!"

He turned to face her, eyes trying to focus on her blurry face. "Dave's handiwork?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, it's probably best if I let him explain. He's usually not awake until later in the day, though. Now sit down and eat!"

He begrudgingly obliged, taking the plate from her. It was hard to tell, but seemed to be a very basic breakfast – eggs, bacon, and toast. Not exciting, and certainly not his favourite.

What did capture his attention was a faint meow from outside the room. Limping into the room came a familiar orange tabby cat, missing a leg.

"You found him."

"Yeah, he was a real pain to get here! I m-mean, he tried to attack me, and I really didn't want anyone unsavoury to catch on. It was hard enough with you! But it was a risk I was willing to take, you know?"

She beamed as the small tabby hopped onto the bed, curling up next to his papa. Soon the room was filled with the sound of loud purring. Damon almost smiled, seeing the familiar form next to him.

"But, uh, I'll give you some alone time! You haven't seen him in a long time I'm sure."

She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. He started to think after she'd left. If she had retrieved his cat, that means she'd been in his apartment. She'd also, at some point, stripped him nude. In addition, if this was her bed he'd been resting in, where had she been sleeping? The revelations didn't sit well with him, but any interrogation would have to wait. For the time being, his focus was on the tabby.

He gently pet the cat pressed against his leg, purring like a machine. "Stubbs," he began, "I've missed you."


End file.
